Published: Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 01:36 AM.

After Cummings (20-4) scored the first four points of the second half to cut the score to 31-23, Patterson drained a 3, dished to Jamal Richmond for a corner 3, then knocked down two free throws for an 8-0 run. Those three plays came in a span of 1:06 and doubled the lead from eight to 16.

“Coach said we just have to stay calm because we’re going to have highs and lows in this game, so we just wanted to keep our composure and keep playing our game,” Patterson said. “We didn’t want to get caught up in their game, so they could come back.”

Aside from Patterson’s 19 points, each of the other seven Graham players who saw action scored at least four points.

A major disparity came at the free-throw line, where Graham converted 23 of 28 shots. Cummings was 15-for-29.

“You can’t miss 14 free throws in a conference championship game,” Cummings coach Chas Criss said. “It just changes the momentum, it changes the flow, it changes the confidence. We missed six front ends of 1-and-1s. We just couldn’t get it going.”

McAdoo and Tevin Smith each scored 11 points for Cummings, which will be the No. 2 seed out of the conference for the state playoffs. The Cavaliers were the designated home team by way of a tie-breaker to enter the tournament.

The neighboring rivals tied for the regular-season conference crown with 10-2 records, and each team won on its home court, Graham and Cummings entered Friday night’s game with matching credentials.

With a higher seeding in next week’s Class 2-A state playoffs on the line, the Red Devils (22-5) displayed multiple levels of fortitude to charging in front, keeping the lead and holding off a continuous Cummings rally.

“Our guys were fired up, they knew that was at stake and they wanted that. And they came out and played hard,” Graham coach Mike Williams said.

The game was tied for just 1:26 during the first quarter. After a basket by Jeramy Williams and a pair of buckets by Don Evans, Graham jumped in front and stayed in a commanding position for the rest of the game, leading by as many as 14 with 2:53 left.

“We just wanted to focus on our game, run our offense, knock down shots and play defense, that’s the most important part of (this game),” said Patterson, who led all players with 19 points.

The Red Devils were able to force Cummings into playing its game — a sometimes frenetic, always moving pace — for most, if not all, of Friday night’s game.

The result was less than efficient at times, with the first field goal of the game coming more than halfway through the first quarter. But it’s a method that Graham has become accustomed to throughout the season.

Graham’s defense was particularly sharp in the first half, when it held Cummings to six field goals.

Of Patterson’s 19 points, he came up with several plays that proved to be instrumental.

When the Cavaliers’ Keith McAdoo knocked down a 3 to cut Graham’s lead to four in the second quarter, Patterson answered with a 3 on the next possession.

After Cummings (20-4) scored the first four points of the second half to cut the score to 31-23, Patterson drained a 3, dished to Jamal Richmond for a corner 3, then knocked down two free throws for an 8-0 run. Those three plays came in a span of 1:06 and doubled the lead from eight to 16.

“Coach said we just have to stay calm because we’re going to have highs and lows in this game, so we just wanted to keep our composure and keep playing our game,” Patterson said. “We didn’t want to get caught up in their game, so they could come back.”

Aside from Patterson’s 19 points, each of the other seven Graham players who saw action scored at least four points.

A major disparity came at the free-throw line, where Graham converted 23 of 28 shots. Cummings was 15-for-29.

“You can’t miss 14 free throws in a conference championship game,” Cummings coach Chas Criss said. “It just changes the momentum, it changes the flow, it changes the confidence. We missed six front ends of 1-and-1s. We just couldn’t get it going.”

McAdoo and Tevin Smith each scored 11 points for Cummings, which will be the No. 2 seed out of the conference for the state playoffs. The Cavaliers were the designated home team by way of a tie-breaker to enter the tournament.